The present invention relates generally to text or symbol search facilities within a data processing system and more particularly to a facility for displaying the result of a search without disrupting the display of the primary document.
One of the more frequently used tools of a word processing program is the fast electronic search for a particular string of characters or symbols. This tool is typically found in one of the tool menus with the name of xe2x80x9cFINDxe2x80x9d or xe2x80x9cFIND and REPLACExe2x80x9d. Various improvements have been added to this tool over time i.e., the ability to search forward or backwards in the document, highlighting found string for easy identification, and repeating the search to find additional occurrences are some of the features that have been added to enhance the tool.
However, all known searching tools pose a significant limitation whenever the user wishes to reference some other portion of the document containing a particular string while maintaining the user""s current position within the document for additional reading and/or editing. FIG. 1 depicts a conventional application window configuration 10. The application window 16 includes an identifying title block 18, which displays the name of the application 12 being used and the title of the document 14. The application toolbar 20 allows the user to edit and make changes to the document 24 and the user can xe2x80x9cscrollxe2x80x9d the document using the scroll bar slider 21 in the application scrollbar 22.
To better understand the conventional electronic search technology, refer now to FIG. 2, FIG. 3 and FIG. 4 together. FIG. 2 is a flowchart of how a conventional electronic search is performed. FIG. 3 represents a conventional drop down edit menu configuration. FIG. 4 represents a typical find tool dialog box configuration.
Typically, when utilizing a conventional search system from a current cursor location 126 within a document, the user activates the drop down edit menu 124 by mouse clicking the xe2x80x9cEditxe2x80x9d tool 120 from the application toolbar 20, via step 102. From the drop down edit menu 124, the user activates the xe2x80x9cfindxe2x80x9d tool 122, via step 104. Shown generally in FIG. 4 next, the conventional find tool dialog box 132 is displayed in the main application window 16, via step 106. Referring again to FIG. 4, the user then enters the search term in the xe2x80x9cfind whatxe2x80x9d area 130, via step 108. Finally, the next portion of the document containing the search term is displayed and the search term is highlighted in the main application window 16 whereby the original document orientation is disrupted, via step 110.
For a specific example of a conventional search, refer now to FIG. 5, FIG. 6, FIG. 7 and FIG. 8. FIG. 5 is a detailed flowchart of an example of a conventional search. FIG. 6 is a drop down edit menu configuration. FIG. 7 depicts a find tool dialog box configuration. FIG. 8 represents the main application window 16xe2x80x2 after the completion of the conventional text search.
First, while reading and/or editing a document at a current location 126xe2x80x2 in the main application window 16xe2x80x2, the user decides to search for the string xe2x80x9cJepsonxe2x80x9d, via step 112. Next, the user activates the drop down edit menu 124xe2x80x2 by mouse clicking the xe2x80x9cEditxe2x80x9d tool 120xe2x80x2 from the application toolbar 20xe2x80x2, via step 113. From the drop down edit menu 124xe2x80x2, the user activates the xe2x80x9cfindxe2x80x9d tool 122xe2x80x2, via step 114. Next, the conventional find tool dialog box 132xe2x80x2 is displayed in the main application window 16xe2x80x2, via step 115. Next, the user enters the search term xe2x80x9cJepsonxe2x80x9d 134 in the xe2x80x9cfind whatxe2x80x9d area 130xe2x80x2, via step 116. Finally, the next portion of the document containing the search term xe2x80x9cJepsonxe2x80x9d 138 is displayed and highlighted in the main application window 16xe2x80x2 whereby the original document orientation is disrupted as shown by current cursor location 126xe2x80x3, via step 117.
However, since the user can only view one portion of a document at a time in an application window, he is burdened to remember or write down the desired information from the document at the location resulting from the find operation and then return to his original location within the document. Returning to the original document location can be particularly time consuming in a large document with many pages. These problems are further compounded when a user wishes to concurrently reference multiple pieces of information residing in disparate locations within the document or residing in other files. xe2x80x9cCut and pastexe2x80x9d operations are available, but frequently the user simply wishes to reference the information and has no desire to actually xe2x80x9cpastexe2x80x9d the information at another location in the document. Further, the loss of continuity caused by temporarily disrupting the primary viewing page can have a substantial impact on productivity and creativity.
It is desirable therefore that software applications implement an efficient and easy to use interface for displaying one or multiple portions of a document containing specified search strings while continuing to display a primary area of the document related to current reading or editing by a user. This interface should enable the user to easily display search results without disrupting the user""s primary location in the document. It should provide the flexibility to place the search results in a convenient section of the computer display screen. The system should be easy to implement, cost effective and easily adaptive to existing computing systems. The present invention addresses such a need.
A method and system for displaying the results of a search operation initiated by a user is disclosed. The method and system comprise the steps of displaying a first set of information in a first window, the first window being associated with an activated application program. The method and system further comprise initiating a first search based upon a user interaction with the application program and displaying the results of the search in a second window wherein the first window continues to display the first set of information.
Through the use of a system and method in accordance with the present invention, a user can view one or more portions of a document containing specified search strings while continuing to view the primary area of the document where reading and/or editing is occurring. Furthermore, the user can create, move, or resize these variable sized find windows by commonly known mouse operations. Further still, the user can display search results from files or documents that are different from the primary document.